Friends...

I shared that M has made a bestie (F) in the previous post, and this is just such wonderful news!  We needed school to start so she could start getting to know other kiddos her age.  Church just wasn't cutting it yet either because we were gone a few Sundays, other friends were taking trips, etc. and while she enjoyed her time in Sunday School, she still wasn't really connecting with anyone. 

One time this summer, as we were talking (yet again!) about not being so bossy and clingy with her cousin, who happens to be 5 years older than her - a tricky age span, we talked about how to be a good friend and what might happen if she keeps up this kind of behavior.  She sputtered, "I DO have friends, Mom!  I have a million friends.  And they all live in KANSAS!"  Oh break my heart why don't you?!  Now you and I both know that M has what some might call a flair for dramatics, but there was real hurt in her heart.  I'm so glad that she's both continued to send sweet notes and pictures to her friends in KS, because really, she does have wonderful friends there, BUT also, meet new friends here.

So yes, we have F, who is as cute as a button.  Plus M has started getting to know some girls from Church -- and Sparkies will start up next week (can hardly believe we have a Sparky AND a Cubby this year!).  She has a "best friend" in dance class, too, who apparently wears a black leotard because that is all M wants to wear now too!  And life would not be complete without her play time with C.  They really do get along well (most of the time) and I'm so blessed by that!  

FRIENDS!!!!!!!

So the kids and I have been getting to know our new city and staying busy, but the one thing I kept coming back to was friends.  Our families have been wonderful and we've gotten to spend a ton of time together, but there's something about friends.  Although, as cousin A told C today in the car, "You're more than my cousin.  You're my friend."  Heart.  Melted. 

I have been introduced to lots of people lately and I started to come to the realization that I was being a little too hard on these "newbies".  Of course they're not going to be just like the relationship I had with my bestie in college (even our relationship has changed over the years - it should've!  We've changed, our families have changed, our locations have changed, our priorities have changed.).  Or the relationships I had with great friends in KS, because it took some time and TLC to cultivate those relationships.  In fairness, I needed to give these newbies a chance and had to actually put some effort into the relationship.  I had to set up some play dates.  Ask some questions.  Answer theirs.  Get to know them. 

So, I am happy to report that in putting myself out there, I have gotten to know some really great people!  And the kids are happy to have some new playmates too!  We all miss our buddies in KS, but it is good to continue the"settling in" process, socially/emotionally as well.

COMPANY!

I have lots of blog topics floating around in my head, so stay tuned this week!  I promise to be better at updating than I was in October!

This week we were absolutely blessed to have our good friends C and M (and cute as a button daughter N) A visit us all the way from I-wa.  Pronounced that way in the sawth.  C is an air traffic controller and his weekends are Thursdays and Fridays right now.  Ever since we moved here we rooted around for the perfect time for them to visit and this last weekend was IT!  With parent-teacher conferences M-W evenings and all day Thursday, we had Friday OFF!  Also, JJ had a blissful week off due to his outstanding test scores.  Well.... not EXACTLY a week off... he did take an elective course - one of a few he has to take before he gets out in the "real world" of rotations.  But, this class was Monday and Wednesday morning only.  Oh, also making his week less blissful was my to do list!  But that's another story!

So anyways, we enjoyed so much having friends visit.  Like M noted, it's just nice when people already know you!  Conversations and fun can start RIGHT away without all that awkward trust building and such.  We hung out Thursday evening and watched the girls get to know eachother.  M is about three months older than N and they just absolutely hit it off.  We (Moms) were a little worried because they both seem to have ... errr... strong personalities, but they were both SO good.  N is the epitome of petite.  Even when she appears completely ticked off (which happened like twice I think), she gives a little squeak.  She is pure joy. 

Friday we ran some errands, hit up Noodles, took naps (ME included!) and did the required Deanna Rose (What can we say?  It's the perfect kiddo place!).  N is so brave - she was feeding goats like nobody's business.  I guess her auntie has a farm so she does get in some extra practice.  Good thing Daddy C was able to save li'l N's arm from the INSIDE of a rather big goat toward the end!  I only regret not quite getting it on film!! 

M, N, M and I (can you keep track?!) went on a short walk to get the mail and the girls held hands.  Can you say priceless?!  When the A fam had to leave Saturday - C worked in the afternoon - M was so sad.  All day she said, "N-n... bye-bye." and even cried after they had pulled away.  I guess that means that we just have to go visit them soon!   

Friend's-isms

I need to tread carefully here. I do NOT want to be making fun of this particular friend, but some of the things she says cracks me up! She is a supernice person, who is always up for a game, so in my book she's great! A while ago we had the chance to hang out with her and her hubby. I really have no right to poke fun at her either, because in the last week I have been reaching for little sayings, too. For example, when we were pulling into Target the other day, I turned to JJ and said something like, "Let's kick this can!" (as in "Let's go!"). He was like... "Uhhh... let's blow this popsicle stand? Let's kick this pig?? Not quite sure what you were going for there..." : )

So without further ado, here are three examples of my friend's-isms:

1) "Correct me if I'm right." Well, I'm feeling pretty snarky, so I could possibly pull that one off...

2) She kept going on and on about her liable car. I just wasn't figuring it out until all of a sudden I got it! REliable car... yeah... there we go!

3) I was feeding MVJ some bananas and berries baby food. She doesn't eat it very much anymore, and I have to give my friend some credit. If you're not around babies very much, maybe you wouldn't recognize a baby food container or even the different flavors. But, she was all, "Ooh! Did you just make chocolate pudding? I love chocolate pudding! Look at her eating that chocolate pudding!" Yup. . .

SURPRISE!

I LOVE surprising JJ. I don't think I did too much before we were married, but after that the flood gates were opened! The only slight problem is that now I have to find bigger and better ways to get him.

The first big surprise occurred for JJ's 23rd birthday. We were living on campus - I was a hall director. I invited a bunch of people and had projectors set up for video game-playing and pizza ordered for the gamers! With a little help from our friends, we pulled it off beautifully!

The next surprise came when it was JJ's 25th birthday (I think... maybe 26... I'm losing track!). JJ's niece and nephew lived in St. Cloud and Minneapolis, respectively. It may sound weird - but with JJ's family his niece is older than me so these are not like 5 and 6 year-old nieces and nephews! : ) Anyways, his nephew was an assistant manager at a hotel and I contacted him to help me out with a little surprise. I worked it out so that I came home for lunch to surprise him with that. But at the end of my lunch, I got up and said, "You're coming with me! The bags are packed, let's go!" He looked at me strangely until I let him guess when we stopped in Fargo. He figured it out by the thirdish guess and we enjoyed a fabulous weekend with SC, MH and PH. Yay for family and surprises!

Now, for JJ's 28th birthday, I was very shifty. I told him he better not make any plans basically all week because something might happen... or it might not. As the days went by following his birthday, I think he gave up thinking something was going to happen. Then on Friday, we were hanging out at home when all of a sudden there was a knock at the door. I answered it and said, "Our babysitter is here! Let's go!" As JJ adds here when telling the story, "Good thing I had pants on!" JJ also says that at this point I said that I wanted a date night one too many times so he knew something was up. We arrived at Applebees on time for our reservation - but had to wait at least another 45 minutes. Boo! But so many of JJ's friends and family came out! It was so great! He was happy and felt well-loved.

KLA

The other night my friend KLA was in town.  It was SO good to see her.  And she brought me Subway.  I mean, c'mon.  [Right here.  She got me right here.  Pointing to my heart.]  She just cracks me up.  I've tried to convince her that she needs her own blog.  She just has so many ideas.  Some people might find them strange, but the way she presents them is just hilarious!  For example, she explained why marble cake is a lose-lose choice for weddings.  "You don't please ANYONE.  Those who like chocolate cake aren't happy.  Those who like white cake aren't happy.  No one wins!"  

She also showed me a twitter page called s#!$mydadsays --- but the real swear word -- beware there's lots of swearing... obviously!  It's SO random.  This 28 year-old guy who lives with his parents just randomly writes things his 73 year-old father says.  It's totally random and has its funny moments.  On to facebook, where we checked out her BIL's notes where he writes about his week in review.  Then we looked through almost all of her hubby C's pics on facebook, while K pointed out if he was buzzed (happy smile), drunk ("He looks like an infant!"), or looking gay or the "Oh he's so cute!  Look how hot he is!".  

But, the gem of the night... the quote of the day was when she was describing her Mom at her wedding:  "What are you going to do when your Mom steps out dressed like a pirate??!"  I just laugh out loud even just thinking about it right now.  haha!

DeLurking Day!!

I'm TOTALLY copying my friend LB from work!  

Hello?  Hello?  Hello?  Echo... echo... echo... 

I wanna know who's out there... so post a comment!  It's my De-Lurking Day!  :  )

JJ's Trip

JJ recently returned from his first solo trip since... well, for sure since MVJ came into this world and quite possibly the first since we've been married. He attended this little old conference called Willow Creek Leadership Summit. You may have heard of it. I'm so glad he got the opportunity to go as he came back so refreshed in his faith and with lots of great ideas of things to do to make a difference in our area (as well as a large book list to check out). While there, he got to hear simulcasts from Bono and Tony Blair and listen to lots of speakers "in house" including Wess Stafford (pres. of Compassion International) and an advisor to four presidents.

While he was gone, however, I was a "single parent". It seems that MVJ sensed something was different and was very good -- except at night. The first night she woke up about every three hours. STINKER! We know she can do better than that, so I'm not sure what was up. My good friends in the area weren't content to let me stay in my pjs all day and wallow in my single-parentedness, so I spent quality time with the B's, the J's (including mom NA), and MM. I even got to meet with the two teachers I'll be working closely with next year (the new-to-7th grade specialist KB and new RT LH) and had two summer kiddo events thrown in there. I never sleep very well when JJ isn't there and this time was no different, but by the last night I was up to being able to lay down without putting the timer on the TV so I could fall asleep to noise. (Maybe it had something to do with MVJ being up every three hours that first night!! I was tired!) The days flew by and in no time it seemed JJ was knocking on the door at 5:15 am (after a whole night of driving).

Time Waster

Don't do it. Don't you dare do it. Unless you have a LOT of time on your hands, don't go to sporcle.com. TAF and MF got us hooked when we visited them in MN. You'll waste lots of time, trust me. JJ and I just tried to remember all the books of the New Testament (missed three - darn!) and Old Testament (missed an embarrasing amount... those minor prophets... yeeks!), the monopoly board (missed eight pieces... and we only got ONE railroad... jeez!), and parts to the game of clue (only missed ONE room!). Ok, try them if you dare! Oh, and just so you know, spelling counts, and you don't have to hit enter after each entry.

Have fun! : )

Telephone Prank...

My bff TAF is a goofball. She just cracks me up. I'll never forget this one time she called me and pretended to be a telemarketer. I thought it was her so I started being goofy, and she played right along acting shocked. I got embarrassed right away thinking I had it wrong - that it wasn't really her. She made me feel bad for a short time and then fessed up that it was her. Stinker!

So, when I got a call today asking for "MVJ's Mom or Dad" in what I thought was TAF's voice, I said back rather silly, "This is her mother!!" The person continued on, "Well, ahh, this is Dr. Z's nurse just calling to confirm MVJ's appointment on Monday." Oops....

A few more things... about our trip to MN...

So then, on Wednesday we were able to get our hands on some fresh baby! Little miss LKH was born July 18 to our niece MH and nephew-in-law (?) PH. She was born ALMOST as early as baby girl MVJ and she is the cutest little thing! She has long, dark hair and is so petite and sweet! We loved holding LKH and reminiscing when MVJ was that small (smaller!! No way!). MVJ is now the big kid.

We came back to the F's for some quality craft time and rock and time. Then we hit Sonic- they have a "happy hour" where drinks are half-price! Sweet! We keep getting commercials for Sonic even though we don't have one! We were definitely intrigued. Then we hit up Noodles and Co. -- JJ and my first visit -- delicious!! You're right, TAF, the mac and cheese is the best! Then, we had a bonfire at the perfect bonfire pit the F's have set up in their backyards. S'mores... friends... laughter... MVJ sleeping... it was wonderful! JJ even said it was his favorite part of the trip.

Next day, we did some laundry --- thanks Fs! --- watched some recorded Jeopardy! (TAF is seriously my kind of woman!), ate some more Sonic (!), and packed up. After bidding adieu to the Fs, we headed back to Fargo to pick up JJ's car. MVJ once again slept the whole way -- and only cried for about 20 minutes outside of Fargo, then slept the rest of the way home. What a wonderful trip! Yay for lots of family and friends!

More MN

From the W's we decided to catch the light rail and take that to the Metrodome. MVJ decided this was about the sixth circle of hell. She screamed the WHOLE time, and it was standing room only, so I was trying to soothe her while SO, NW and JP acted as my human shields! JJ and TAF were split up farther away from us. We finally got off the @$#% train and MVJ began to calm down. I knew she was just fine -- I guessed it was the noise and commotion. We met up with the rest of our crew: MF, AW, SV and her hubby JM, and headed inside.

We found our spots - awesome left field seats on the end of a very long aisle. Being on the end was fabulous except for one minor exception --- everyone (and I mean everyone and some people multiple times) came by us at some point. Sometimes it was inconvenient - MVJ had just fallen asleep, just taken a bottle, whatever. But, we couldn't complain - (well we could... and did...) but it was just so much fun to be out at a game! MVJ was too cute in her little Twins outfit, but it was a little masculine. Daddy felt the need to put her pink pants on here and one group of businessmen on the train with us chatted about our little baseball player. The one closest, however, commented that first she'd have to ditch her pink pants! heehee When she got much too warm, we took the pink pants off and several people commented about our baby boy's first trip to the game. Of course I can't imagine looking at her and seeing a boy, but whatever. : )

The only homerun of the game was hit into our section, so that was superfun and the cotton in MVJ's ears worked wonders. Before we could find some water, MVJ even nursed in the Metrodome, which later JJ noted was "kinda cool." She also received her first formula at the game, which she took to very well. Yay! MVJ is still very strongly in the midst of stranger-danger. It makes me quite annoyed that she won't go to others, but after she spends some quality time with someone, she'll usually spend a little bit of time in his/her arms.

After the game, we learned our lesson about the light-rail, and realized that waiting for three or four trains to go by so we could be on a much less crowded one was time WELL SPENT. MVJ did really well, despite getting hungry. I was a little angry at JJ for not letting me nurse her (with cover of course), but later he said there were too many creepers on the train. heehee In the end, MVJ made it just fine to the W's, where we dropped off JP and picked up TAF's cooler. In fact, she fell fast asleep and slept the whole way back to the F's. You go girl!

Trip to MN

A long, long time ago... I can still remember... how that music used to make me feel. No. Wait. A long time ago I used to be a hall director! It was a grand ole time and I'm so thankful I was able to do it for two years (just enough but not too much!). In the process, I was able to be on the bestest staff ever. Seriously. I don't mean to gloat or something, but we all just clicked and created a really positive working environment. So four of the five of us live in the cities (or nearby)... can you guess which one of these is not like the other one? Which one does not belong? Yeah, that's me, so I was the one traveling this week to visit my good friends: NW, JP, TAF and SV. We organized a BBQ and night out at the Twins and it was fabulous!! (Fellow housing staff member SO tagged along for some fun along with significant others: JJ, MF, AW, and JM).

The drama of the trip was that JJ had jury duty. His first call was the week he was in his nephew's wedding. He got out of that with a new letter to call the week of his MCATs. He got out of that with a new letter to call the week of our Twins game. He felt a little foolish trying to get out again so we just crossed our fingers. We packed up the van, drove to Fargo to be an hour closer to the cities, and he called at his designated time. Miracle of miracles, there were no cases and he was thus relieved of his duties! w00t! Into the van we went again and made it to the cities in about three hours from Fargo. MVJ slept the WHOLE TIME. What a fabulous daughter I have!

We got to the F house only to be greeted by Neua เนื้อ --- I had to look up how to spell "meat" in Thai --- I'm not sure how to spell the name of their dog (long story short, they lived in Thailand for two years and rescued a dog that was about to be used as a temple sacrifice --- so since they eat dog in Thailand, they named their dog "meat" in Thai!! I think it's hillarious!). Anyways, no one else was there -- Neua is quite the guard dog -- he licked us to death! But, we were confused that his owners weren't present. We soon found out that TA had been at the ER -- she is 13 weeks pregnant and had four migraines in two days! TA's migraines are not your run of the mill migraines -- we're talking loss of vision and pretty much the ability to be present in the world when one hits. AND she can't take her regular meds because of her pregnancy. Boo! But, she was given a shot and a new prescription, and she seems to be on the up and up! Thank goodness!

TAF and MF are doing great and they have all sorts of fun plans for the baby room and all that. Yay for babies! Tuesday morning we set about getting ready for the BBQ at NW and AW's, buying a few Twins outfits (for JJ, TAF and of course miss MVJ), and making a sign for li'l miss MVJ for the Twins. Then we headed out to the W's. It was so much fun to hang out with our old friends. One of my favorite things is we always seem to just slide back in to regular life. There generally isn't the awkward "catching up" that usually happens with old friends. I love my housing family! Go team D! Leave your pants at home! I think that's enough for now. More to come.

So I tried to go to Harry Potter yesterday. . .

Yesterday our friends RE and JE from Thief River Falls decided to come hang out and go to a matinee of Harry Potter, which I've been waiting to see! We found a babysitter, friend SM from work, and got it all planned. We thought there was a 2:00 showing, but it turned out it was either 1:45 or 2:15. I sent RE and JE to see if the 1:45 was open, but it was full. So we settled on the 2:15 and I headed out the door, while li'l miss MVJ slept and after SM had gotten the run-down on toys, bottles, teething tablets, etc! Right after the first preview (for the second installment of Twilight), I got a text from SM basically saying, "MVJ woke up screaming at about 1:50, I've tried everything and she won't calm down. Any ideas?" Oh dear! Not what you want to hear! I quickly exited stage left and called her to get the skinny. I hear MVJ wailing in the background and SM has tried everything I would've tried. I text JJ that I'm heading home, and the theater people were nice enough to refund my ticket (yay!).

At home, MVJ will just not calm down. She has worked herself up to hysterics and has basically done everything to SM in her arsenol: pulled her hair, spit up on her and spit out a chalky teething tablet onto her shoulder. What a little stinker!!! On the way home I was pondering what to pay SM. We had bought a gift card to the movie theater, but at first it seemed like a bit much for about an hour at our house... but... upon further thought, I realized she ABSOLUTELY deserved every single penny, and more!!! Poor SM! I feel so bad that MVJ was such a brat! And poor MVJ I suppose. Maybe leaving while she was sleeping was a bad idea since she didn't have a chance to warm up to her.

So, the conclusion? MVJ yelled at me for about 10 more minutes, then nursed and fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up she was just about the happiest baby ever. Little stinker!

Baby Watch is OVER!!

CLJ and JPJ welcomed son ACJ into the world at about 2:15 this afternoon! Congratulations to the J family! God bless all THREE of you! I haven't seen him yet, but I heard he has tons of dark hair just like miss MVJ had when she was born! CLJ and JPJ went in to the hospital at 3am, so I'm TRYING my best to wait and let them rest/get acquainted/celebrate their new family. Darn it's hard! I just want to snuggle that new baby... even for five minutes! : )

Baby Watch!

My good friend CLJ is due TODAY! Yesterday was her brother's wedding. Boo for the timing, but congratulations to A and JA! : ) C's hubby JPJ went to the wedding, along with her mom of course (her top two birthing coaches), so I was priveledged to be able to hang out with her for the day just in case little Mr. J decided to make his appearance. What do women do the day before their due date? I can't answer that personally, but for CLJ, it was BAKE! Yay! The house is cleaned from when her Mom was here the week before... baby boy J's room is totally set up and just waiting for its owner... she did a bunch of cooking with her Mom (chili, chicken and rice, etc)... her thank you notes are in the mail... yup -- it sounded like baking was definitely the thing to do!


We baked and decorated over 100 cookies so she can be all ready to celebrate this new little guy! (Ooh, and check out her new mixer! So fun!) Little miss MVJ was pretty good... but did need some attention of course and we also took a supper break (mmmm.... Blue Moose!), but this is basically what we did all evening! Towards the end, I started running out of ideas and made a few that I wasn't exactly happy with. So... I ended up taking one for the team and being a super duper taste tester. . . and the result? Delish! You can see the two hearts at the bottom right -- those were our taster cookies -- I didn't like the way my heart (the bottom one) turned out and CLJ knew she was ready to try one so she made hers say "EAT ME!"

So now even the cookies are baked! C'mon little J! Mommy and Daddy (and a ton of other family and friends) are ready to meet you!!

The Poopertraitor Vs. The Wedding

...duh duh duuuuuh...

My friend KKL asked me to be a reader and cake cutter in her wedding and JJ to be their videographer. We were honored -- especially since she planned on having a very small wedding. They got married June 7th, a Sunday, because they wanted to get married outside at a park that was only available (around the time they were looking anyways) on a Sunday. Well, Mother Nature had other ideas for their wedding with SNOW coming that day! Their wedding had to be moved inside, but KKL did SO well. She was so calm and easy going. I was very proud of her! KKL was absolutely radiant. Seriously. BEAUTIFUL bride! Her dress (think Jenna Bush with a slightly lower back v) was stunning!

We get to the Church about a half-hour before the ceremony is supposed to begin. MVJ is so cute in a green polka dot dress, JJ so handsome in his light blue dress shirt and goldish tie, and me, well, I don't know about cute or handsome, but I was wearing a turquoise blue shirt with a skirt my bff TAF got me from Thailand. We were chatting with KKL's soon to be BIL (WA), and he asked us if MVJ had had her first blow-out diaper yet. Yes, yes, we assured him. Right about that time MVJ did the business and then got all smiley. WA was like, yup, that's how I feel after a good poop. We laughed and rushed off to change MVJ. We came to realize that she had gone through: 1 diaper, 1 onesie, 1 pair of tights, 1 pair of bloomers, 1 dress, oh yeah, AND Mommy's shirt! This would normally not be a problem, but I WAS THE READER! And now I had a big poo stain right on my top and a little on my skirt band! That little stinker!! I frantically called my parents to bring a different shirt, but they were already at the Church, and the service was just about to begin. Sooooo... we cleaned it as best we could with a diapey wipe and laughed. What could we do? KKL's program was made like a fan (for that hot summer day she had planned!!), so it did double duty as a fan to dry my shirt!

I don't think anyone noticed, but of course MVJ just had to leave her mark on the day.

In the end, I'm sure this is not the detail KKLA will remember, but I sure will! : ) Blessings to the new A family as they embark on their honeymoon to Sweden today and when things settle down to "normal" married life!

Oh J-y-J

Our good friend JBP spent a few days with us visiting. He is an air traffic controller, so his "weekend" is Tuesday and Wednesday. We went to Star Trek (and, gasp, had our first babysitter!). Here are a few fun quotes of J's time with us:

1) JBP on my cricut: "A scissors costs $5."

2) JJ on JBP's Guitar Hero abilities: "That's not the way I remember the song..."

3) JBP reminiscing on a get together with M and TAF: "FIVE TA, FIVE!"

4) JJ in the middle of a slew of Chuck Norris jokes: "Did you know CN is a big conservative?" (JBP: No... why??? --- waiting for the punch line.) "Yup, he is. That's it. It wasn't a joke."

5) JBP on our nickname for MVJ: "Did you know that Chi-chi is slang for boobs in Spanish?" JJ: "Well, I guess it still works. She likes boobs."

Happy Mommies' Day

My first Mother's Day! Wow! It is neat to have joined the ranks of motherhood. I feel unworthy and so blessed. MVJ woke up for good around 8 am and I gave her a speech about being nice to Mommy. She just smiled and smiled. It was the perfect present from her! JJ gave me the necklace I've wanted since I saw it. While JJ is an awesome hubby, don't get the wrong impression ladies... I did send him the link to the exact necklace I wanted! Then at Church I just cried when Pastor P described the transformation his wife had becoming a mother. It just brought back happy memories. Then, they honored the oldest Mom (a sassy little thing!) and the newest Mom (who would've been me, but I suddenly got the shysies) and a special Mom who is a foster Mom and single parent.

Then we got ready to head to the park for our first big grill out of the summer! YAY! We surprised AO (what cool initials!) with a bday party bash -- hubby BO (oh dear... not the coolest initials) and I schemed for a while. AO was mad --- [we're going to the park? To meet JJ and EJ? No. EJ didn't call me. She would've called me. Well, she called me at work. No she didn't.] : ) Oh yes, yes I did. YAY for surprises! We got to meet BO's sister AO (who had just graduated from UND Law School!) and hang out with lots of good friends! Even the C's randomly stopped by!! IC is getting so big! What a little cutie! She had to check out all the babies and then they were off to scope out the dog park to see if it's ready for their li'l guy. Yeah... their little GREAT DANE. Yipes! : )

I didn't even need to hit up the free stuff at TCBY or Dairy Queen!! Can you believe it? It was that great of a day.

All Neil, All the Time

My best bud TAF and her hubby MEF came to visit this weekend. We have been having a fabulous time! So far we've:
*gone to the Green Mill
*gone shopping (woohoo!)
*had some Jimmy Johns (yum-o)
*stamped!!
*played a new game (Blokus) -- highly recommend it -- it's approved by Mensa people... : )
*went to Texas Roadhouse
*AND went to Neil Diamond!

TA's bday is coming up and MF bought her tickets to the show. He decided that we would maybe have more fun going (in a "I'd actually sing and dance along with her" kind of a thing). After hitting the bathroom for the second time in a row that night, it was time to sit down. We had awesome seats on the floor. After we found our spots, we decided it would be good to walk around a bit to kill the 20 or so minutes until Neil. I decided against any Neil paraphernalia, a decision I may regret later... : ) Then, back at our spots, and a few more drunk people stumbling in later, it was time for the show to start. The ladies behind us were hillarious in a "you are so annoying" kind of way... They kept bumping my friend TAF in the head with first themselves on their cellphone and then with their hands trying to clap. A lady in front of us was on her cellphone like the whole concert. Why would you even try to accomplish that feat? And a couple in front of us needed to get a room. Seriously. And they were older. They knew better. Neil came out and sang a few songs (obviously) and then said that the last time he was in our town it was something, something 1970. He was like, "Who was there with me??!" TAF and I were like... uh... not born yet...

He sang lots of classics and some from his new CD. He talked often about being a man of God and his family. He also said that all the proceeds from his "stuff" sales go to Hurricane Ike victims (ladies behind us must have been huge fans -- they cheered very loudly for this announcement). He also came into the crowd for two songs (ladies behind us: I will just die if he comes over. Oh my goodness. He's coming! He's walking around! No, no, he's turning. Should we follow him? Should we go out there?) TA did become a bit of a rule-breaker when she broke out our camera and took a few shots. We were close to the sound tech. booth thingy, so a guy came over and told her to put it away. Naughty TA! ; )

I can't remember the name of the second "floor" song he did, I think it was something about September nights or something? ? Anyhow, he took a lady's hand and walked with her for a while, and they danced for a little bit, and then he kissed her. On the mouth. It was wierd. Then, back on stage, he said, "Thank you beautiful lady for walking with me. Thank you nice man who was with beautiful lady for not hurting me while I walked with beautiful lady. Thank you beautiful lady for the delicious kiss. Thank you again nice man for not punching me in the face." It made me blush it was so awkward. He has this low, low, sultry voice that made it a bit creepy for me, and apparently made the over 40 crowd swoon.

TAF and I totally had dance moves to Sweet Caroline. It was great! And we thought he might leave without singing Coming to America, but he had saved it for his second encore song. The boys were super kind and dropped us off and picked us up from the concert! We were hyped up from the whole concert - hyped up enough to play three more rounds of Blokus. TAF kicked our cans, and then it was time for bed!